A television network (US) is an entity that provides programs to individual television stations, which are only licensed to broadcast in a specific area. Each network can hold a few "O & O's", stations it owns and operates, usually in the big markets.

Satellite and cable have created changes. Broadcast stations in an area can sign up to be carried on cable, but content providers like the Learning Channel can too. They aren't licensed to run broadcast equipment like a station and they don't regularly provide content to licensed broadcasters either. Furthermore, a distributor like TNT may begin producing its own programming, and shows presented exclusively on cable by one distributor may be syndicated to broadcast stations.

A person viewing by cable or satellite may not know what kind of organization is responsible for the program. So what seems to be a station or a network may be neither.